Physicians, and more particularly pediatricians, often suggest that an infant or a child be propped-up or inclined when both awake and asleep. An inclined posture often helps an infant to sleep during time of illness such as head colds or sinus infections. Various methods have been used to place the infant or child in a reclined position, including, for example, placing pillows underneath the infant to position the infant in the inclined position. Pillows, however, are typically very soft and assume the contour of the overlying infant. Consequently, there is a danger that the infant or child may suffocate if the child's face becomes directed toward the pillow. The flexibility of the pillows also may not provide the foundational strength required to support the infant in a predetermined position. For example, the infant may easily roll over or slide off the pillow.
Also, a recurring problem among particularly small infants, i.e., usually less than six months old, is Sudden Infant Death Syndrome ("SIDS"). These small infants die suddenly, often while in a crib, from what appears to be a type of suffocation. Some physicians have thought that SIDS may occur from pillows or blankets blocking air passages of the infant. Although the suffocation can occur from pillows, blankets, or the like positioned in the crib, other physicians also believe that gastroesophageal reflux causes the suffocation by fluid or particles blocking the air passages of the infant. The influence of gravity when an infant is in an inclined position is believed to aid the esophageal passage by reducing the regurgitation of stomach contents which may travel up the esophagus and block the infant's air passages. Instances of reflux are believed to be higher with premature infants and smaller infants because the esophageal passages are less tight and these type of infants generally have smaller stomachs.
Various devices, other than pillows, have been developed for positioning an infant in an inclined position. These conventional devices positionally adjust the angular attitude of the mattress in the infant's crib such as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,208,925 by Edlund entitled "Sheet For Inclined Infant Mattress." These inclined mattress devices, however, are usually difficult to position and adjust. Slings or the like have been used with these devices and typically connect to the crib side rails or side walls. Another example of such a device may be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,471,767 by Guimond entitled "Therapeutic Device For Positional Treatment For Gastroesophageal Reflux." These connections of the sling to the side rails or side walls, however, are also often difficult to adjust and can cause entanglement problems with the infant when moving its arms, legs, and head. Also, these prior devices provide little comfort or security particularly to small infants.